A strut assembly is a type of damper that is commonly used in vehicle suspension systems for bearing a load and damping vibrations between a body and a wheel assembly of the vehicle. One such strut assembly of the monotube type is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,984,060 which includes a reservoir tube for connection with a wheel assembly of a vehicle. The reservoir tube extends about and along a center axis and has an interior surface and defines a chamber. A bearing sleeve is fixed to the reservoir tube in the chamber of the reservoir tube. The bearing sleeve extends about and along the center axis between a proximal end and a distal end, and presents an inner surface and an outer surface. A damper body tube is further provided for connection with a body of the vehicle. The damper body tube is disposed in the bearing sleeve and is moveable relative to the bearing sleeve along a pair of bearings. A piston assembly is disposed in the damper body tube and is fixed relative to the reservoir tube such that the damper body tube is slideable relative to the piston assembly.
In order to fix the reservoir tube to the bearing sleeve on such monotube strut assemblies, typically, the bearing sleeve is crimped to the reservoir tube. Often, a radially-outwardly extending flare is formed at an end of the bearing sleeve which is crimped to the reservoir tube. A gap is also typically present between the reservoir tube and the bearing sleeve. It has been recognized that the crimping force required to connect the reservoir tube and the bearing sleeve in this manner may vary, thus leading to difficulties in terms of assembly process repeatability. Further, it has been recognized that such a crimped connection can lead to shape variations along the length of the bearing sleeve and/or reservoir tube. Inconsistent shapes of the bearing sleeve and reservoir tube may result in reduced performance of the strut and noise. Accordingly, there remains room for improvements to strut assemblies.